i need another cup of coffee first

Pinned

If you’ve never experienced Pinterest, it is like a cyber bulletin board where people “pin” the things they like, fun recipes, tutorials.

Were someone to judge me based on my Pinterest boards, they would think I was a psychotic master carpenter who loves crayons and casseroles. (That’s about 2/3 true so, I guess it is a pretty good tell of someone’s personality…)

But, the truly dangerous part of Pinterest is is makes me believe I can do things. Lots of things. Things that involve tools I can’t even pick out of a line-up. (I still don’t really know what a miter saw is but, I want one.)

Last weekend Pinterest convinced me that I could definitely convert a $25 dresser I got at a thrift store in to a lovely entertainment center. It was a bulky, ugly dresser that had been finished a very dark brown. I was going to Martha Stewart that B in to a rustic cream unit that would be the talk of the neighborhood. (And since I was refinishing it in the front yard, SOMETHING I was doing was sure to be the talk of the neighborhood.)

I planned to take out the top three drawers and use that space for the television and leave the bottom two drawers for hiding toys and other living room things. This was going to be easy!

Wait. There are little drawer spacers between the drawers made of solid wood. They made lovely shelves, but they had to go.

Clearly, I am not usually a very handy person so, the only things that could really help me here were a hand saw and a hammer. So, I set to work hacking away at those little shelves, eventually getting them out with much cursing and flailing. I left a little of the shelves in the dresser because it made it look like it had exposed beams (very trendy?) and because I was pretty sure if I messed around with the structural integrity of the piece any more, Bad Things would happen.

After that, I sanded the dresser and painted it all a nice cream. When the paint was dry, I resanded it in parts to give it that worn, antique look. I figure I may as well do it on purpose because if I don’t, the kids will do it for me.

Then, I painted the remaining drawers with chalkboard paint so the kids could scribble on it and make art. That has already backfired on me because someone colored all over one of the sides in blue marker because they assumed the whole piece was a scribble-y free-for-all. (See, I knew they would antique it for me…)

All in all, it was a pretty successful project.

But, look out if you see me buying lumber and asking about power tools.